Introduction

In the early morning hours of February 11th, 1977, a fire ravaged through the Sandford Fleming building at the University of Toronto. While there were no serious injuries or loss of life, the damage to the building was extreme, and the loss of years of irreplaceable research materials was devastating. However, through the smoke and water emerged stories of resilience and quick-thinking, resulting in the salvage of many irreplaceable books and computer tapes. Ultimately, Sandford Fleming reopened in 1982, and continues to serve the engineering and computer science community at U of T to this day. This exhibit seeks to commemorate the 40-year anniversary since the burning of Sandford Fleming, through sharing stories and artifacts from this fateful event.

Note: Throughout the exhibit, click on any photo to see descriptive information. The image within the description can be clicked on for an enlarged view.